Darkness has fallen on a cold, nearly sunless day. Temperatures are down to 6C, which is not much below the maximum of 8C, which was achieved this morning. In other words, it's freezing out there.
Jenny highlighted the negative side of trick-or-treating in the UK: threatening behaviour by some teenagers, vandalising of property and other unpleasant aspects. It's a shame, because at heart I don't believe is more than just a little fun for young children at a dark time of year.
Halloween, All Hallows Eve, started out life as a pagan festival, denoting the end of summer. Winter starts in November (Samhainn in Gaelic culture). The end of winter falls on 1 May, a day known as Beltane in Gaelic culture. Upon the advent of Christianity, All Hallows was the day that the dead were remembered. 2 November is All Saints, when all the saints are remembered. Cathy has made an excellent entry on this subject.
Whilst I do not celebrate Halloween in any other way than "Trick or treating through J-land", I hope those that do celebrate it have a nice time and allow others the same privilege.
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I couldn't agree more Guido.....June:)
ReplyDeleteI believe trick or treating should be harmless fun but it has not been our experience on the odd occasions we have had them round here. Gange of fourteen to sixteen year old asking for money. If you say no then they attack your car with eggs and flour or your windows, throw any rubbish they can find into your garden even deliberately scratch cars. Either do it the correct way or do not do it at all.
ReplyDeletehttp://journals.aol.co.uk/jeanno43/JeannettesJottings/
Thanks for the mention Guido, but although the pagans saw it as the day the dead walked, very early on the christians named !st of Nov as All Saints Day, or All Hallows Day and the 2nd Nov (my B'day) as All souls Day. I just looked At 'Wiki' to check i had it the right way round as i often get it muddled.
ReplyDeleteJenny <><
I don't celebrate it, either, which can be difficult around me sometimes! As I don't know how to do tags and snags and whatever else they are all called, nor do I really care to bother with graphics, I wish everyone else well and a lot of fun, who celebrate it on their journals. (Heck, different computer, I can't figure out yet how to access my own journal again , anyway, lol. I will in time.)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link. Stay warm:)
Cold here this morning here too...and gloomy. I think our sun shine is gone at least for a few days. I don't do Halloween either. I had a very bad experience many years ago. And have only done it once or twice since then if someone is here with me. Linda in Washington state
ReplyDeleteI don't celebrate Halloween at all and will never post Halloween graphics on my journal. I always think there's something evil and sinister with it and all those morbid decorations in the shops, you can keep 'em all! Jeannette xx http://journals.aol.co.uk/jlocorriere05/Welcometomytravels
ReplyDeleteI don't do anything for Halloween, well I put a scarecrow up this year but I suppose that could just be an autumnal thing. People in my area celebrate Halloween like mad ~ the police announced that in three counties they are setting up DUI checkpoints because of the DUI incidents during Halloween. Go figure, I never thought it was that big of a deal. My car was "egged" once by hooligans which infuriated me! Sorry to ramble on.
ReplyDeleteLisa